She had the natural skills for crochet. Now Teri Caermare Tan, a housewife in her late 40s, just had to figure out how to pursue a business using her crochet skills.

Her answer came in 2006 when she joined a business proposal competition over a local radio station ? The Kapamilya Negosyo Na, a program tieup between dyAB and the University of San Carlos through Devin Go, who was then the university's dean of College of Commerce.

?I heard the advertisement in dyAB with sir Leo Lastimosa and I thought to myself why don't I join that contest?? Tan said.

Tan said that joining the contest was tough as contestants were required to do feasibility studies which were included in their business proposals.

She became one of the 10 first season winners, which opened a lot of opportunities for her as designers started to order from her.

A skirt, which she sold for P400 to a female client who bought all the threads, was her first sale.

?It's a brown and white combination skirt and it was my buena mano,? Tan said.

Tan then received orders for gowns, blouses, belts, headbands, baby dresses and anything that can be made through crochet.

Singer, TV host Sheryn Regis, even wore a black gown in one of her TV shows here. The gown had since been sold to another client.

She said she made that gown for her daughter who was fond of joining beauty pageants.

Mei Ann wore another red crochet gown when she joined the Miss Mandaue pageant in 2007. In her Miss Moalbal pageant stint in 2007, she got the best in gown award wearing that same red gown.

The pageant exposure of her gowns worked as an effective marketing tool for Tan as more pageant organizers and talent managers started going to her and order attire for their pageant production segments.

Tan said her business involves a lot of skills, creativity and time as she needs at least a month to finish one long gown.

?My products are all handmade and require a lot of concentration. If you don't have time to do it then delivery time of your orders will become a problem,? Tan said.

A single roll of a crochet thread costs P22 only and to make a medium-size blouse, you will need around 15 rolls.

Tan, who is now a single parent after her husband passed away a year after she won the KNN awards in 2007, said that income from her crochet business had helped her raise her three kids but still this was not enough. And she had to find other jobs to supplement her income.

?I work as group manager of Caritas Health Care and I'm also selling food supplements products of Green World to earn more income aside from the crochet products that I display in the KNN booth in Parkmall,? she said.

Tan said that since her husband died, she had also assumed the marketing and production operations of the business.

For her future plans, Tan said that she want to have her own boutique that would display all her crochet products.

?In crochet, you just need to be creative. I think you can make practically anything from this craft,? Tan said.